Trapper's Departure
by Black Scarab
Summary: Trapper John McIntyre left without leaving a note for his so called "best friend", Hawkeye. Why did he do that? Maybe the reason for his discharge wasn't what Hawkeye believed it to be all those years ago. When the 4077th meets up for their 10 year reunion, what does Hawkeye learn about his old friend?


M*A*S*H: Trapper's Departure

_July 27th ,1963 _

A man with gray hair stepped out of his car and walked into the bar, he looked at the sign and laughed, noticing the name was familiar to him, _Rosie's Bar_. But the bar he was remembering was a world away and from ten years in the past. He walked to the back of the bar, into a room where a gathering was being held. The banner in the back of the room said, _"Welcome to the 4077__th__ M*A*S*H: Best Care Anywhere: 10__th__ Anniversary of the Armistice"_. The group gathered turned toward the door as he stepped into the room and he smiled, seeing all familiar faces.

"Hawkeye!" a woman's voice said, Hawkeye looked in the direction it came from to see a blonde haired woman run up to him and embrace him in a hug.

"Hey there, Hot Lips!" Hawkeye said and hugged her back. "It's been a long time. Since I've seen you, since I've seen any of you!"

"It has." another voice said, with a snobbish tone to it. A large, bald man stood up, smiling.

"Charles! They really rounded up the entire camp, didn't they?" Hawkeye asked, looking around and seeing his old army buddies. "Radar! Col. Potter! Klinger! Father Mulcahy! They even dragged out old ferret face!"

"Cool it with the insults, Pierce!" Frank Burns said, glaring at him.

"Is there anyone who isn't here?" Hawkeye asked.

"Well, Dr. Freedman is busy, so he couldn't make it. And you know, he's not here." Radar said, with sadness in his voice during the last part.

"Don't forget me, Hawk!" B.J. said, coming up behind Hawkeye and putting his arm around him.

"Beej!" Hawkeye shouted. "It's so great to see you!"

"Now that the guest of honor is here, I'd like to make a toast. To the armistice!" Col. Potter said, as he raised his glass.

"To the armistice!" they all said in unison.

"Uh, sir?" Radar asked.

"Radar, we're not in Korea, you can call me Hawkeye!"

"I know, but I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"It's about Dr. McIntyre."

"Oh that's right, where is old Trapper John tonight?"

"He said he was coming, but I need to tell you something that he made me swear to never tell you until the war ended, and I could never bear myself to write the letter."

"What is it, Radar?"

"You remember, when you were on R&R and Trapper got discharged, right?"

"Yeah, lucky bastard."

"That's not the whole story... I never told you how he got discharged..."

"How did he get discharged, Radar?" Margaret, Frank, Klinger and Father Mulcahy looked at Hawkeye with worried eyes. "What happened to Trapper?"

"Well, it was a few days after you went for R&R, Frank was finally moving his stuff into Col. Blake's tent."

_September 3rd, 1950 - 4077th M*A*S*H, Korea_

Trapper John sat on his cot, and smiled with glee as Frank Burns moved his final box out of the tent.

"You and Pierce have to listen to me now!" Frank said, laughing. "I run this place!"

"You'll never replace Henry, you know." Trapper said.

"Well at least I won't give you and Pierce any slack! This is going to be a tighter ship while I'm in charge."

"Which hopefully won't be that long!"

"I'd of been in command a long time ago if you and Pierce hadn't gotten Henry to come back from Japan. In fact, Henry would still be alive if you hadn't brought him back!"

"What do you mean?"

"He'd of gotten his points faster, and would've been on a different plane that wouldn't have been shot down!"

"Frank, get out!"

"I'm your commanding officer and I can do what I please!"

"Frank, get out before I kill you!" Trapper said, lunging at Frank, who ran out of the tent screaming.

Trapper chased Frank down to Henry's, (now Frank's) tent. Margaret ran out of the tent when she heard the screaming and two officers grabbed Trapper as he was running.

"Margaret! He was trying to kill me!" Frank whined.

"Is this true, Captain McIntyre?" Margaret asked.

"And I would've if you didn't stop me!" Trapper shouted.

"What brought this on?" Margaret asked.

"I was just telling him that if him and Pierce hadn't brought back Henry from Japan after he was transferred, he'd of gotten home safe!" Frank replied.

"Frank!" Margaret shouted. "How could you say such a thing?"

"It's true!" Frank said.

"Let me at him!" Trapper shouted. He shifted his arms and broke out of the grip of the officers holding him and lunged at Frank, tackling him to the ground.

The next day, two MP's loaded Trapper into a truck. Radar ran to the door and Trapper rolled down the window.

"Listen, Radar. Hawkeye never learns of this, okay? Just tell him I was discharged." Trapper said. "Make sure no one else tells him either."

"Okay, sir." Radar said, as the truck pulled away.

The entire 4077th was piled into the mess tent as Radar called the group to attention.

"Okay everyone, Captain McIntyre has made it clear that he never wants Captain Pierce to know about what happened yesterday. Got it?" the group nodded in agreement. "Good."

"Back to work!" Frank shouted.

_July 27th ,1963_ –_ Rosie's Bar_

Hawkeye stared for a moment at Radar and his gaze turned to Frank, and Frank flinched.

"You're telling me, that Trapper, my best friend, was discharged because you drove him to it?" Hawkeye furiously asked.

"Now, listen, Hawkeye. I'm not the same man I was in Korea. After what happened in Tokyo when they sent me stateside, I had a lot of time to think while they evaluated me. I realized how wrong I was treating you, Trapper, B.J., Radar, everyone." Frank started. "When I got back I told my wife what I did in Korea, and apologized for it. And she was angry, but she took me back, and I tried to mend the relationships."

"It's true, Hawkeye!" Margaret said. "When I got back after the war, Frank sent me a letter, apologizing for what he did in Korea. He's not the same person."

"So, it's my fault that Henry died. And if we hadn't brought him back from Tokyo, maybe it'd be different." Hawkeye said, somberly.

"But if that hadn't happened, you'd of never met me, Hawk!" B.J. said.

"Or me." Col. Potter said.

"Everything happens for a reason, Hawkeye." Charles said.

"You're right. I need a drink." Hawkeye said, as Margaret handed him a glass.

"So do I." a voice said, the group turned their heads to the door to see a man step inside.

"Trapper!" Hawkeye shouted and stood up, grinning like a mad man.

"Hawkeye!" Trapper said.

"They told me everything."

"I assumed they told you ten years ago."

"I didn't know until two minutes ago."

"Well, it happened. But hey, let's not dwell on the past. We're here now, right? The 4077th M*A*S*H, back together!"

"We should make this a thing we do every ten years!" Klinger said.

"Huh..." Trapper said. "Klinger looks different when he's not in a skirt."

"Trapper, I'm sorry." Frank said.

"Apology accepted, Ferret Face!" Trapper laughed, and so did Frank.

"Anyway, let's just thank the lord that we're not still stuck in Korea." Father Mulcahy said. 

"How is life, Trapper?" Hawkeye asked.

"Oh it's been great! I've been working at a hospital in San Francisco for a few years." Trapper replied.

"I'll bet you'll be Chief of Surgery there by the next reunion." Hawkeye said.

"I hope so." Trapper said.

Trapper, you could've left a note, you could've sent a letter!" Hawkeye said.

"Hawk, they wouldn't let me send any letters to Korea! They didn't want me to have another "episode"... I tried to tell 'em that as long as Frank Burns wasn't there when I wrote it, I'd be fine. But they didn't listen!" Trapper said.

"Hawkeye, this is horse hockey!" Col. Potter shouted. "We're here to remember the good times, not the bad times!"

"He's right, Hawkeye." Klinger said.

"We have to remember the good times!" B.J. said.

"Like when you and Trapper sent Ho Jon to college!" Radar said.

"Say, how is Ho Jon doing these days?" Trapper asked.

"Well, he's a college graduate!" Hawkeye said. "And he helps out at my dad's practice, since my dad is getting older and I've got my own practice now so I can't help him out anymore."

"Hawkeye, Trapper! Get over here!" Col. Potter shouted. "We're going through some old photos and we just found one of you two dancing!"

"Oh god." Trapper said. "Someone took a picture of that?"

"Let's go burn them." Hawkeye said, laughing.

They ran to the group around the photos and started grabbing at the photos. Finally, after a decade, Hawkeye, and Trapper were at peace with the war.


End file.
